Andelena Winstead
Andelena Winstead ''(née Eagleford) is a soldier born and raised in Alterac to Syndicate-aligned parents, '''Stanwyck '''and '''Yvette Eagleford', formerly Alteraci nobility but retaining the titles of Baron 'and '''Baroness '''that they were awarded in life for service to Aiden Perenolde even after their land was seized by the Alliance in the Second War after Perenolde's betrayal, and the titles abolished. Raised as a Syndicate warrior, Andelena escaped her oppressive confines and became a sellsword after receiving a pardon from the Alliance, formally making her home in Stormwind. After many years, she took up the cause of Lord Davrum Niall to reclaim Ban'diel, and is currently employed in the Radiant Vigil as a soldier. Appearance Andelena is an imposing woman for her human heritage; she is of a thoroughly muscular build at a tall 5'10". Her face is indicative of the hardships she's born throughout her life, as it bears small bruises, scars, and is discolored in some areas depending on the weather and the climate. She is always clad in the dark, protective armor that appears to have been born of master crasftmanship. On her belt are a small satchel and a coin purse, as well as an empty holster appearing to have been made to hold a pistol. Of equal importance is the long, heavy claymore that Andelena always carries, inscribed with her maiden family name on the hilt. Despite her intimidating appearance, a smile or a grin is almost always present on Andelena's face--and woe be to you if you give her any reason for them not to be. History Andelena was born on '''November 14th, 598 K.C., '''in the midst of the chaos that was the 'Second War. '''Her parents, the Baron and Baroness of Yarlborne, Stanwyck and Yvette Eagleford, were in hiding in the Alterac Mountains when Yvette went into labor. A hard pregnancy, Andelena came out as a healthy baby girl, but from that point on, Yvette and Stanwyck were never able to have another child, resulting in miscarriage after miscarriage. Their anger at not having a son, losing the Barony of Yarlborne (as it was a borderland between the heart of Alterac and what is now known as the Western Plaguelands), and a surge of nationalist pride in Alterac resulted in the Eaglefords joining the Alteraci Syndicate, using their wealth to recruit families into their own cell within the group. Andelena grew up as a soldier within this cell of the Syndicate, treated as little more than a pawn piece for an eventual political marriage. When Andelena turned nineteen, the day for that political marriage arrived. She became betrothed to '''Jon Blackley, another leader in the Syndicate who was offering a handsome amount of soldiers and aid to the Eaglefords in a planned attempt to reclaim their land. Blackley was a known criminal, rapist, murderer, and Andelena wanted nothing to do with him, even unsuccessfully begging her mother to back out of the arrangement. Knowing what her future held if she didn't act, Andelena made an escape attempt, slipping out of her house at night in disguise and running deeper into the mountains where she had once found a remote cave in her childhood. However, it had rained the morning of her escape and her footprints in the mud led her to be easily found and captured. For her insolence, Andelena was branded with a wicked letter 'S', as is customary for traitors to the Syndicate, on her back, and kept in a cell within the Eagleford home, where important prisoners were most often held. After a visit from Blackley reaffirmed Andelena's fears about what a married life with the monster would be like, Andelena turned to the mindset her own parents had taught her: "if you cannot survive in your circumstances, it is better to die fighting than to be meek and living." Andelena broke out of her prison by seducing her prison guard and killing him as soon as he'd entered the cell, stealing his keys and putting on his uniform. With the orange mask her parents treated with the same devotion as a holy relic, she went to her parents' room as they slept, stole her father's blade, and killed the both of them in their sleep, then took to the room where Blackley slept and killed him, as well. Slipping out of the house, she stole a horse and never looked back as she made her way from Alterac to the friendlier Wetlands, discarding her orange mask in the long ride. From the Wetlands, she made her way to Stormwind, where she submitted herself to the mercy of the Alliance's justice and was pardoned--as she had escaped of her own volition and had never actually chosen to be a member of the Syndicate, having been born into it. From this time up until 626 KC, Andelena made a name for herself as a sellsword, armed with her father's claymore out of some ironic desire to keep "the bastard rolling in his grave"--in Andelena's words. In this period, she met David Winstead, an accountant, where she hired him to take care of her finances and the apartment she rented in Stormwind while away. After a whirlwind romance that Andelena initiated, the pair were married in less than a year. After marriage, Andelena found herself wanting to take on less inherently dangerous work and to find a cause to anchor herself to. She found it in the form of support Davrum Niall in his quest to retake Ban'diel, the isle where his family ruled, from brigands and disrepair. Since joining, the Radiant Vigil has been impressed with her powerful abilities and her equally powerful personality, with Davrum going so far as to make her the bodyguard of Dame Avalone Niall, Davrum's beloved wife. Category:Alteraci Category:Radiant Vigil Category:Characters Category:Warriors